- October 6, 2024
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What do you want Ormond Beach to look like in 2045?
The city is beginning its Comprehensive Plan 2045 Update, a state-required report that local governments should determine whether updates are needed every seven years. The city’s last Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal report, known as EAR, was completed in 2010. The city determined in 2017 that an update was not needed.
The 2045 update must be completed by June 2025, and to start that process, the city will be holding a Community Engagement Meeting on Monday, Aug. 26, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the City Commission Chambers in City Hall. Light refreshments, as well as ice cream from Neighborhood Scoop, will be served.
City Planning Director Steven Spraker gave the Planning Board an overview of what the process will look like at the board’s meeting on Thursday, Aug. 8. The board will begin reviewing individual comprehensive plan elements beginning Sept. 12. Next year, tentatively scheduled for Feb. 4, 2025, there will be a City Commission workshop to discuss the board’s review of the plan and proposed amendments.
“You will be the lead of this review,” Spraker told the board.
City staff has been examining its comprehensive plan for about five months and has noticed needed changes, he said.
The city didn’t update its plan in 2017 because there weren’t any changes needed, Spraker added.
“We were just coming out of a recession and so there wasn’t a whole lot going on,” Spraker said. “If you look at the last seven years, there’s been quite a bit through annexations, the Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement. There’s been a lot of changes in our growth management.”
According to the city’s website, the comprehensive plan is “long-range policy document to guide future growth and public infrastructure investment within Ormond Beach.”
Residents are also invited to share their input for the city’s 2045 update via a survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/CompPlan2045UpdateSurvey.
Sunday, Aug. 11, marked the final day of serving customers for LuLu’s Oceanside Grill, as its management posted on its Facebook Page that the restaurant would be closing its doors, following a decision not to renew its lease.
“After much deliberation and sleepless nights, we believe it’s time to move forward,” wrote Jerimee Gum in the Facebook post. “LuLu’s Oceanside Grill has been a local hangout of Ormond Beach for over 17 years with an abundance of memorable times for many!! I can’t expound enough on the level of gratitude and Love that was generated within these 4 walls during this time frame.”
LuLus was located at 30 S. Atlantic Ave. and served seafood, burgers, wings, steaks and more. Gum ran the restaurant with his partner Patrick Moynihan. In his post, Gum said he would be reaching out to other local restaurateurs to help place his staff in other jobs.
“Our staff that worked hard every day to give exemplary service under these recent challenges are parallel to none because of their resiliency and professionalism,” he wrote.
The Planning Board unanimously recommended approval for a reduction of the required rear and side yard setback for churches that abut single-family homes via a special exception at its meeting on Aug. 8.
The Land Development Code amendment was initiated by First United Methodist Church, which seeks to redevelop and expand its campus at 336 S. Halifax Drive. The LDC currently states that churches that abut residential homes must have 100-foot setbacks.
The Conservative Citizens of Ormond Beach held a candidates forum on Thursday, Aug. 8, and founder Al Stewart said he was pleased with the turnout and that the Q&A time was “powerful.”
“Many asked questions, good serious questions about the airport expansion, new development on Granada, the condos at the golf course,” Stewart said in a statement to the Observer.
About 40 people attended the forum, he said, which featured only the coalition’s endorsed candidates: Kristin Deaton, City Commission Zone 3 candidate; Jason Leslie, mayoral candidate; and Donna Brosemer, School Board District 4 candidate.
Brosemer was asked the most questions, Stewart said. City Commissioner Travis Sargent also attended and gave an update on what the commission is working on.
The coalition, which aims to help residents identify conservative candidates in local nonpartisan races, will hold another forum prior to the general election on Nov. 5.
